Yellowjacket Softball Team Wins Two of Three (Sept. 18, 2004)

NORTH PLATTE, NE – The Montana State-Billings softball team kicked off its fall season with a pair of wins on Saturday.  The Yellowjackets defeated Otero JC, 4-1, and Hastings College, 6-3, before falling to Nebraska-Kearney, 6-3, in the nightcap.  MSU Billings will take on Barton County CC in bracket elimination play Sunday morning. 

Joey Ehnes (Sr., Great Falls, MT) struck out 10 in six innings of work against Otero to pick up the win.  She gave up just three hits, two walks and an earned run in her first outing of the year.  She was also 1-for-2 at the plate with a two-RBI double in the first inning.  Freshman Jenna Haacke, a 2004 Senior HS grad, homered in her first collegiate at bat in the second inning.

Hastings jumped to a 3-0 lead on the Jackets in the second game.  Megan McCrae (Sr., Brandon, Manitoba) gave up all three runs in four innings while striking out four.  Stephanie Cochrun (Sr., Lake Stevens, WA) pitched two innings of hitless relief to earn the victory.  The Jackets’ rallied with five consecutive hits in the top of the fifth inning, capped by a Layne Pavey grand slam.  Pavey (Sr., Spokane, WA) was last year’s PacWest Conference home run champion.

In the final game of the day, the Yellowjackets took a 3-1 lead on Nebraska-Kearney in the second inning on Haacke’s two-run single.  UNK hit a three-run home run off starter Jordan Waverek in the fourth inning to take the lead for good.  Waverek (Sr., Kalispell, MT) pitched four innings with one strikeout.  Transfer Rachel Quarnburg (So., Billings, MT) pitched the fifth inning, giving up a two run home run.

“I’m encouraged about the way we played today,” said Yellowjacket head coach Jeff Aumend.  “Joey pitched well and we did some good things offensively.  Nebraska-Kearney is always contending for a tournament spot, and we showed that we can play at that level.”